The present invention relates to an apparatus for checking an end-play in a torque converter used in automobiles. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for and method of checking the end-play in a torque converter without removing the oil from the torque converter.
Various patents in the prior art relate to similar measuring instruments. The prior art is represented by patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,062 (1958) to Brown et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,323,925 (1943) to Markwardt. Markwardt dislcoses devices for testing the hardness of materials, such as wood, plastics, and other non-metallic materials. The device includes a test head carrying a group of pins adapted to penetrate the material to be tested and means for determining the distance to which the pins penetrate the material under a given load.
Brown et al disclose an apparatus for indicating the plastic deformation occurring in a test specimen during application of load to the specimen. The use of electric strain gauges connected to the test length and to the elastic member, and the strain gauges connected in a bridge circuit are disclosed.
The torque converter end-play gauge as used in prior art is not capable of measuring the end-play without removing the torque converter in the car, and also without removing the oil from the torque converter. Further, to determine the end-play in torque converter at salvage yards is also not possible with the gauge as available today. Accordingly, it is necessary, in order to attain the most beneficial function, to attain a portable device that can determine the end-play in a torque converter accurately without facing aforesaid problems. This problem has, in the prior art, proven to be a formidable one. Accordingly, the present invention is intended as a solution to said problem.